Severance Season 2's Hidden Reference To A Real Conspiracy Theory Might Have Revealed What Lumon Is Working On

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2's episode 4.

Severance season 2's episode 4 seems to secretly feature a reference to a real conspiracy theory, hinting at what Lumon's purpose is and what it is working on. The fourth installment of Severance season 2 not only confirms a massive Helena theory but also marks the end of Irving's innie's story. Its shocking story developments have prompted viewers to come up with a wave of theories and speculations, raising many questions about Mark's reintegration, Kier Eagan's backstory, and Irving's future in the series.

At the same time, Severance season 2 episode 4's ending also makes it hard not to wonder how Irv's departure from Lumon will impact the MDR workers and encourage them to turn even more defiant towards the company. While only time will tell how these story beats will unfold, one hidden detail in the Severance season 2 episode comes off as a nod to a real conspiracy. This real-world reference might have subtly given away what Lumon is trying to achieve.

Severance Season 2 Episode 4's Montauk Detail Could Be A Nod To A Real Conspiracy

Montauk Is The Name Of The File Irv Works On Severance Season 2's Episode 4

Although a lot goes on in Severance season 2's episode 4, one of the most intriguing sequences revolves around Irving and his pursuit of finding the truth about Helena. Before Irv has his "Eureka moment" in the episode, he ends up sleeping outside in the blistering cold where he has a strange dream. In the dream, he works on a file, titled "Montauk," on his Lumon computer, which seemingly helps him refine his own memories and connect the dots surrounding Helena's true identity.

While "Montauk" could mean many things, it is hard not to see it as a subtle reference to the Montauk Project conspiracy. Little is known about the legitimacy of the Montauk Project. However, as the real-life conspiracy suggests, the secret military project, conducted at Camp Hero or Montauk Air Force Station in Montauk, New York, was used for conducting unethical experiments to develop tools for psychological warfare and even researching time travel.

What The Montauk Project Nod Could Reveal About Lumon's Work In Severance

It Could Hint Lumon Is Developing Psychological Weapons

Preston Nichols, who has written a series of books about the Montauk Project, has claimed to have recovered his repressed memories of his involvement in the government program. Although his books are classified as fiction, they come with a note that says, "Whether you read this as science fiction or non-fiction you are in for an amazing story." Regardless of whether the Montauk Project was real, the mention of "Montauk" in Severance makes it hard not to believe that the show might be drawing from the real-life conspiracy.

Severance Key Facts Breakdown
Created By	Dan Erickson
Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score	97%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score	84%
Streaming On	Apple TV+

Like the Montauk Project, Lumon, too, might be developing psychological warfare techniques through their experiments surrounding human memory and consciousness. Similar to Preston Nichols, Mark might be able to recover some of his repressed innie memories as an outie and outie memories as an innie after reintegration. Given how The Lexington Letters hints that a terrorist attack might have something to do with an innie's work on an MDR project, Lumon might already be using its psychological warfare tools in Severance to advance covert operations in the outside world.

Severance

TV-MA

Drama

Mystery

Sci-Fi

8/10

241

9.2/10

Release Date: February 18, 2022

Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a "severance" procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.